October 23/11 9:26 am - Pan Am Games Cycling Ends with Road Races

Posted by Editoress on 10/23/11

The international road racing season came to an end with the the road races at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Canadian cyclist Joëlle Numainville (Montreal, QC) came in sixth, while sprinter Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC) was eleventh of the men's race.

In the morning women's race, Joëlle Numainville placed in sixth position after 80 kilometres of racing, crossing the line with a time of 2:18.23, 13 seconds behind winner Arlenis Sierra of Cuba.

Canadian U23 champion Denise Ramsden (Yellowknife, NWT) finished in the peloton in 22nd position, followed by Laura Brown (Vancouver, BC) in 28th position.

"I am very disappointed. We would have liked to have a breakaway, and a Canadian in that break. Denise (Ramsden) and Laura tried many times. With the South American countries in force, nobody would let anyone break from the peloton. I did not really have the best legs for the sprint today," concluded Numainville, whose previous race was at the 2011 Road World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"On the positive side, it's fun to be here and to participate in these Games, to see other athletes from other sports. We don't get to see that a lot in our season. There are plenty of people who see sport very differently."

The Cubans dominated the race, sweeping the women's podium. Yumari Gonzales came in second, followed by Yudelmis Dominguez in third.

In the afternoon men's race, Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC) posted Canada's top result with 11th place. The designated sprinter who found himself in the chase group, Boivin tried to attack the breakaway a few times, but he was unable to reach the leaders as he was working solo, without the support of South American countries.

"I think these games were very pleasant experience. The course suited me well. It was still a tough race, as is often seen in South America. The guys from South America are really motivated, tough, and we don't know them as well. In the end, when a group came out of the peloton, I was the only rider of Canada against a dozen countries that had the guys in the break. I tried to enjoy myself and attack the group, but no one wanted to work with Canada," said Boivin, after the race.

"Without being pretentious, I sincerely believe that I was one of the strongest in the bunch. Cycling is still a team sport, and we perhaps didn't have the number in front to win. The legs were good and I felt good. I'm still happy with the race I did."

Rob Britton (Victoria, B.C.) and Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Québec, QC) finished took 30th and 32nd respectively. Jean-Michel Lachance (Québec, QC) was a victim of a crash in the seventh lap and was forced to abandon.